Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Tony Waits takes over as chair of PRCC Board of Trustees

     POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College’s Board of Trustees elected new officers during the regular January meeting here Tuesday.
     Tony Waits of Prentiss, a Jefferson Davis County representative on the PRCC 16-member governing board since 1997, takes over as chairman. Waits is a pharmacist and a graduate of PRCC.
     He replaces Dale Purvis of Sumrall, a Lamar County representative on the board since 2007.
     PRCC President William Lewis thanked Purvis for providing "superior leadership the last two years as chairman. He has represented the college well."
     Waits, co-owner of Hudson Drugs in Prentiss with his brother David, attended Pearl River from 1984-86. He went on to Ole Miss, where he graduated in 1989 with a degree in pharmacy.
     "Pearl River was the best two years of my life," said Waits. "I made some of the best friends I have ever had. I not only enjoyed the students I met there, but the faculty as well. I enjoyed all of my instructors. They all took a personal interest in my success as a student.
     "Coming from a small high school (Sumrall High) that didn’t have all the equipment like science labs, I pretty much had to play catch-up in some respects. I was impacted by a lot of the faculty there, most notably Dr. (Jim) Barnes and Mrs. (Miller) Hammill. I also worked closely with Dr. (Miller) Hammill, the dean of students at the time."
     During his stay at Pearl River, Waits was active in student government, serving as student-body president his sophomore year. He was a member of the Wesley Foundation and lived in historic Huff Hall.
     Waits’ two brothers also attended Pearl River, as did his wife Tracy, who serves on the PRCC Museum advisory board and the Delopment Foundation board of directors.
     The board also elected Frank Ladner of Bay St. Louis, a Hancock County representative on the board since 1992, vice-chairman. Dennis Earl Penton, Pearl River County’s Superintendent of Education, is the board secretary. Penton has been a member of the board since 2001.
     In other board news, M.L. "Sonny" Knight of Poplarville, a Pearl River County representative on the board since 1995, has been reappointed to another five-year term.